We believe that brands are more than the sum of their products. Brands can create differentiating experiences, provide joy and evoke memories. They should bond with their audiences.

Content allows these relationships to form. Be it videos, articles, infographics, photographs –content allows a brand to reach out and spark an intimate conversation with their customer.

HORIZON

HOW DOES ONEBECOME CONTENT?

More and more often, multinational corporations are becoming publishers in their own right, establishing authority in the written space to sell stories, not jingles.

We have highlighted the top 8 content trends to take any brand from seller to storyteller.

These trends reflect our taste and philosophy, and will be accompanied by an explanation as to how the trend changes the consumer-brand relationship.

Let us get started.

The mobile phone is the new desktop computer. With captive consumer audiences affixed to their small screens, social media is one of the most successful channels to reach a new customer.

With countless links, articles and personal tips being shared in the crowded hashtag-and-handle space, brands are increasingly favored sources to obtain reliable information. However, in order to successfully achieve these outcomes,

the information must be shareable, and a worthwhile read. This means content must educate, entertain or engage.Content can be generated directly from the brand, or if resources are limited, curation of content from external

sources can also successfully form a brand’s point-of-view.

Marriott wanted to communicate the life and energy of their hotels without blatantly selling their hotel rooms through traditional advertising. They shifted focus from pushing product to storytelling through inclusion of outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage, and limited release streams in Marriott hotel rooms.

A 17-minute short action film that takes place at the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live. With a website, main video and behind-the-scenes footage, Marriott wants to become what people are interested in, rather than interrupting what they like.The campaign was so successful that a sequel will debut 2016.

Airbnb, Inc. realized they were shaping a whole new form of community with their business model. They were uniting cultures, characters and sparking conversations.

They came to a conclusion. As aptly communicated in their company blog: “Pineapple is a physical leap from online content to a tangible collection of our community’s stories and inspirations.”

Part travel magazine and user-generated digest, magazines were primarily placed in the homes of Airbnb hosts and sold at select locations. They are now believed to be in talks with publishing giant, Hearst in how to take their publication forward online and offline.

AIR BNB

MARRIOTT

BRANDS AS PUBLISHERSTREND #1

HOTELIER TO MOVIE-MAKER AND PUBLISHING GIANT

PINEAPPLE MAGAZINE

#1

This trend is a double-edged one. A micro-moment is exactly as it sounds – a small moment. Aside from painting a big-picture view through a television commercial, brands can draw audiences in by calling attention to smaller moments of beauty. Imagine a crowded train car versus a single person standing in the middle of the station. Which are you more likely to notice? By focusing on specific moments, brands can more accurately depict and communicate what they stand for and get the attention of the consumer by immediately defining the subject. Likewise, micro-moments are also moments that a

brand seizes the slight opportunity to get a consumer’s attention at the right place, right time. This can be through programmatic systems and really understanding the online habits of the consumer.

MICRO-MOMENTSTREND #2

#2

HOME DEPOTHome Depot repositioned their brand from an equipment source to homeowner resource through clever short how-to videos online. They recognized that their brand should not only be about selling useful products, but also about educating customers on how to use their products.

By identifying the need to educate their customers and acknowledging the urgency in which people may need how-to advice, Home Depot builds their reputation as a helpful next-door-neighbor. Home Depot uses the micro-moment by being at the right place at the right time.

Being the most powerful search engine, Google transformed themselves into digital thought leaders with the Think With Google initiative. They write: “Think of us as your resource for everything from high-level insights to deck-ready states to useful tools. Here you will find the data we’re exploring and the trends we’re tracking…”

One of their best known studies so far has been their identification of micro-moments which helps content resonate with audiences: Want-to-know moments, want-to-go moments, want-to-do moments and want-to-buy moments.

GOOGLE

THINK WITH GOOGLE

QUICK TIPS

Video credit : www.thinkwithgoogle.com

Micro-moments are exploding on the scene simply due to the fact that mobile is the most convenient way to reach the consumer. Mobile-friendly content is the best way to reach on-the-go consumers these days, especially those

18-to 34-years-old. Mobile allows people to consume media-rich content like video – transforming the social mediausage pattern. Conversations are moving to social platforms like WeChat, Snapchat, Line and WhatsApp.

Line facilitates grocery shopping, music streaming, paying and video watching.Content marketing strategies need to take this changing mobile landscape into account.

MOBILE AS THE CENTERTREND #3

EPISODE VII – THE FORCE AWAKENS

STAR WARSWhen Facebook introduced 360 video on its newsfeed, Star Wars was one of the first groups to adopt the technology.The video enabled viewers to dive into an immersive experience of speeding across the Jakku desert and spin the screen in any direction they wish.

The company understood that a majority of their audiences would be avid gamers. Hence, mobile games spoke their language.Star Wars’ mobile presence transmitted a customized message to various segments, and Google purchased rights to offer Star Wars personalization on its apps.

Lowe's needed to find a way to bring Millennials intothe fold. For this group of customers, Home Depot wasa store of choice by default. Lowe’s realised that Vinecould satisfy Millennials' need for quick visual instruction.

Vine served as the anchor, and content also made its way YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. A series of over 100 6-second 'FixinSix' Vine videos were created that provided smart solutions to common householdproblems – catering to short attention spans. 'FixinSix' Vine campaign was shot on a smartphone, ran mostlyon free media, and cost very little.

LOWE’S

FIX IN SIX

#3

Image credit : Star Wars : The Force Awakens

Image & video credit : www.thinkwithgoogle.com

UNILEVERUnilever created a multi-brand campaign that helped influencers and bloggers create hair-styling tutorial videos for their YouTube channel. The channel learns what hair-related queries women have and are searching for on Google.

These keywords are shared with the bloggers, who were paid to create tutorials for the channel using Unilever brands. The channel called ‘All Things Hair’ incorporates brands such as Toni & Guy, Dove and VO5. On the channel, consumers can browse by hairstyle, hair trends and how-to’s.

American Express creates exclusive experiences fortheir customers. The premium credit card brand wanted to find a way to bring the world’s best concerts to their customers, while allowing them to participate as well.

They launched a holistic campaign inclusive of live streaming with extras accessible through an app.For an immersive experience in Usher’s concert, a teamof designers worked with Usher’s choreographers to record a series of the star’s signature moves. For their Taylor Swift campaign, they used 360° cameras to create a rich audio soundtrack through an app, combined with storylines, multiple rooms and dozens of hidden interactive features waiting to be explored.

AMERICAN EXPRESS

With explosion of video formats and properties, video content strategies also need to evolve.YouTube’s dominance is under threat from Facebook and services like Vine, Instagram and Snapchat that

provide opportunity to reach niche audiences with bespoke solutions.

Programmatic video is another growth area that would see a spurt in usage in 2016. There is still a lot to be learned here, but if utilized correctly it can help reach the right audience, with the right message, at the right time.

With new technologies like drone, 360 cameras, VR headsets – both video consumption and creation are bound to evolve.

VIDEO REVOLUTIONTREND #4

UNSTAGED X USHER

ALL THINGS HAIR

#4

TOYOTAToyota used Oculus Rift headsets to raise awareness among teens of the dangers of driving while distracted. Wearing the virtual reality headset, participants could experience driving along a busy urban street, along with sounds of traffic and friends chatting with distractions such as changing the radio and sending SMS.

This was part of Toyota's TeenDrive365 program which offers parents and kids a range of safer driving events, advice and online tools.

Reebok wanted to motivate their audiences and encourage them to Live With Fire. The brand wanted to challenge everyday people to state their achievable and dream fitness goals on a regular basis.

This episodic element paralleled the regularity of exercise Reebok wanted for their customers, and accrued viewers who wanted to follow the inspirational journeys. Tips were also fed to viewers through the website through a fitness specialist. Public entertainment met personal betterment.

REEBOK

BETTERMENTTREND #5

For over a decade, wearable devices and the Internet of Things have not just been tools of convenience to the consumers but also a way to better know themselves. They have been a way for consumers to understand

and improve personal aspect of themselves. It has also provided consumer with a flavor of what technology is capable of and they desire to know more and get deeper understanding.

VR promises personal development beyond physical and mental health. It now offers immersive, challenging learning experiences. This will re-invent and shape how consumers interact with the content, in years to come.

REEBOK FIT CLUB

SELF-IMPROVEMENT THROUGH VR

#5

Today’s content marketing approach is growing old every passing minute. The audience is demanding information in new and exciting ways, at their own leisure, from their desired sources. Hence, content needs to tune itself.

Episodic content is one such way to engage the fleeting attention of this audience by building suspense, curiosity and anticipation. Compared to advertising laden with heavy branding propositions, episodic brand storytelling is providing

information (via stories) in easily digestible chapters.

Also, this helps marketers bring the consumers back to their content on their own volition.

COCA-COLACoca-Cola wanted to show how hard times can also give birth to friendship. They created three short films to inspire teens to stand up for their true friends when it matters most.

The brand told a story in stages to build suspense, develop characters and increase its web traffic. The powerful icon of the fist bump was integrated across the campaign, and implemented on Coca-Cola packaging and out-of-home media. The online and offline approach spread the message of friendship over cruelty to teens everywhere.

This Lexus series online followed its professional racecar driver James Rossiter. Throughout the series, Rossiter answered questions from followers on Twitter to create a more interactive experience through the hashtag #JamesOnLexus.

The “Road to Fuji” featured seven stories released on a weekly basis. Each story built on the last episode and talked about aspects of Lexus juxtaposed with the Japanese landscape – capturing the cultural and technical spirit of the brand.

LEXUS

EPISODIC STORYTELLINGTREND #6

WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR A TRUE FRIEND?

ROAD TO FUJI SERIES

#6

With years of interest in the material world, we now witness an interest in the internal. More than ever in our distracting, cluttered world, consumers now seek to unlock a part of themselves and their psyche they have not yet accessed.Soon, it’s not going to be so much about what consumers say they want, but about what marketers can distill from

their moods and personalities in order to provide personalized offerings.

Effective algorithm-based recommendations are already being used in music and movie marketing. Technological developments like facial recognition, biometric sensing, brainwave readers help studies dig deeper.

Innovative content personalization would be an important consideration in 2016.

UNIQLOOctober 2015 saw Uniqlo debut a sales tool to help customers choose t-shirts based on their mood. Launched in stores across Sydney, Uniqlo UMood features a headset with forehead sensor to measure brain activity. Users watch a series of video clips representing different moods, and are then matched with a t-shirt design that best suits their mind-set (selected from over 600 styles).

SPLENDIAWith Splendia’s initiative, every internet or social user could play tour guide for their friends around the world. The public and Instagram influencers were given the opportunity to post a guide for a particular place and activity, whether it be via an article on a website or visually through Instagram.

“ME MARKETING” - PERSONALIZATIONTREND #7

SELF-IMPROVEMENT THROUGH VR

CITY GUIDES

Image credit : www. brandchannel.com

#7

Trend 4

Consumers seek human touch from the brand they consume. A one-off CSR activity and tweet about it, is not enough to place brands as meaningful. Consumers identify with the brand they consume and want it to

be an extension and reflection of themselves.

In the years to come consumers will prefer transparent brands that encourage two-way conversation and evaluations.That is to say, the brands that review and rate consumers as a way to providing better experience.

TOURISM AUSTRALIATourism Australia partnered with GIGA Selfieto offer Japanese visitors something simple that visitors can engage with at will, without all the trappings of traditional marketing. The event started Sep 2015.

The execution is simple: Travelers stand on designated platforms, open the “GIGA Selfie” app and click a button. Then, a distant camera snaps their picture, capturing the traveller in a gorgeous panorama. They flipped the concept of marketing from “at” to “with”, making a real impact.

GIGA SELFIE

BACK TO THE START

HUMANIZATION OF BRANDSTREND #8

CHIPOTLEChipotle wanted to differentiate their brand from other fast food companies, often associated with unhealthy ingredients and harmful production processes. The Mexican food chain launched a massively appealing campaign with illustrated animations showcasing simple storylines, revealing their ethical and moral ways of producing their end products.

This emotional approach was also coupled by a game, shifting their identity from fast food producer to responsible, wholesome farm-to-table purveyor.

#8

RISE TO THE CHALLENGE

These trends would shape how content is created, distributed and consumed.A cohesive strategy around a single piece of content can deliver far more than a long drawn advertising campaign.

The challenge is, however, imposing in an increasingly saturated market and fickle consumer.

How does one rise to the top? Brands must know their consumers, create immersive stories and provide meaning via a ‘human’ identity. They must reach out and engage an audience so that the audience can reach back.

Like the way we think? Let's work together. Email: Jeremy.heng@havasmedia.com